This fall, the University of Utah is extending its campus to a restored ghost town in southern Montana. Mary Tull, Director of the U’s Environmental Humanities Education Center, says the school is partnering with the nonprofit International Center for Earth Concerns to offer four short programs there, each with an in-depth environmental focus.

Utah Congressmen Jim Matheson and Jason Chaffetz were among House lawmakers voting this morning in favor of a motion to move the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline forward as part of a transportation bill. Speaking on the house floor last night, Matheson said contrary to what many believe, this product is already being transported to the United States.

A conservation group is appealing the Utah Division of Water Quality’s preliminary approval of a permit for a tar sands project at a two-day hearing in Salt Lake City. Rob Dubuc, an attorney for Moab-based Living Rivers, made the case against granting a groundwater discharge permit for the PR Springs project in Uintah County this morning.

Natural gas development is about to increase significantly in Utah. Tuesday, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved a major drilling project the Obama Administration says will create thousands of jobs while protecting the environment. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on the compromises made to protect wildlife and air quality throughout the project.

Segment 1: In 2003, scientists took water and sediment samples from the Great Salt Lake and they discovered the highest level of mercury ever detected in the U.S. Since then, samples from fish, waterfowl and even spiders all show the same result: extremely high mercury levels. On Tuesday, we’ll talk about mercury contamination and the [...]

Utah Governor Gary Herbert has a new energy advisor and at least one environmental group is already calling foul. Herbert announced today that Cody Stewart, who’s currently serving as Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell’s Chief of Staff, will help the governor increase energy development in the state. But as KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, HEAL Utah says his interests are with big oil and gas.

Law enforcement officers are getting more serious about enforcing the rules at Parley’s Historic Nature Park. Beginning Monday, Salt Lake County Councilman Steve DeBry, who is also a Unified Police Department Deputy Chief, says the UPD will begin writing tickets to visitors who don’t follow regulations, rather than just issuing a warning.

Weather experts are warning Utahns of a dry, hot summer, and with that comes an increased risk of fires. Randy Julander, Snow Survey Supervisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, says the state is a month to six weeks ahead of where it should be for melted snowpack, and in many areas of the state there is no snowpack left.

The Sugar House streetcar line stretching from the heart of the Salt Lake City neighborhood to the TRAX station on 2100 South will be lined with green space, thanks to a vote of the city council Tuesday night. Council Chair Soren Simonsen, who represents the neighborhood, says the nearly $7 million dollars in funding will contribute to a grand vision.

Salt Lake County is asking for the public’s advice on transportation issues in Mill Creek Canyon at an open house today. Transportation engineer Andrea Pullos says they’ve got a lot of ideas to share on how to manage parking in the canyon, whether it’s a paid parking system or signs that direct users to different trailheads when the lots are full to disperse traffic.